Washington to Host 2nd Tripartite Meeting over GERD on Monday

Washington is set to host a tripartite meeting at the level of foreign ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resume talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Monday.

The meeting will be held under the auspices of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in the presence of representatives from the World Bank, in order to complete the discussions regarding filling and operating rules for the dam and to assess outcomes of previous meetings of the three countries regarding the same file.

It is noteworthy that US President Trump invited the foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to attend a meeting in Washington to discuss the GERD crisis.

The invitation was also extended by US Treasury Secretary to David Malpass, president of the World Bank Group.

The three countries are waiting for the outcome of the forthcoming talks, in light of Egypt’s keenness to follow the path of negotiation to break the current deadlock.

[caption id="attachment_95488" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Washington to Host Tripartite Meeting over GERD on Monday[/caption]

On his part, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi also lauded the constructive and pivotal role played by President Trump and the US, which reflects the depth of the strategic relations between Egypt and the United States, saying that this would contribute to reaching an agreement on the filling and operation of GERD and promoting stability and development in the East Africa region.

Kremlin has announced that President Vladimir Putin has previously offered to mediate between Egypt and Ethiopia on the GERD issue.

The Russian offer came only two days after Egyptian foreign ministry accepted the US invitation to host a tripartite meeting among foreign ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

It is noteworthy that El-Sisi met with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi and agreed to resume the works of an independent technical committee in a more open and positive way.

Abiy affirmed his country’s commitment to the course of negotiations until a final agreement is reached.

The GERD, which is being built near the border with Sudan, will be the largest hydropower project in Africa when completed in 2022, generating more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity.